


Star Wars: Jedi Rising

by The_Venerable_Doctor_Goondis



Category: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, I'm Bad At Summaries, Spoilers for Jedi: Fallen Order, Vader is a badass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-19 08:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22141246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Venerable_Doctor_Goondis/pseuds/The_Venerable_Doctor_Goondis
Summary: While Cal flees from Vader with the crew of the Mantis, the dark lord of the Sith sets out to end Kestis once and for all.
Relationships: Cal Kestis/Merrin, Merrical
Comments: 13
Kudos: 74





	1. An Unexpected Visit

Cal sunk into the Mantis’ couch, his shoulder wracked with sudden pain, making him wince as he pressed a hand to the wound, removing it immediately as the pain flared again from the contact.

“You alright, kid?” Greez asked, his fluffy brows wrinkled with concern. Cal nodded, poking around the wound with a finger and then nodding again.

“Yeah,” he said, the pain gone as he leaned forward to look at the fragments of the holocron which lay in a jumble on the table top, wondering if he had made the right decision in destroying it. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Greez nodded, glancing around at Cere and Merrin. Cerre was leaning against the wall, her face slightly strained from the injuries she’d sustained in their escape, her eyes holding a barely visible and fading yellow tinge. Merrin was sitting on the couch a few feet away from Cal, watching him with concern, her hair tousled from drying it and her traditional robes having been switched for a dark gray shirt and long tan pants. Getting no acknowledgement, he looked back to Cal, who raised an eyebrow at him, prompting Greez to finally speak, his tone exasperated. “Well?” he asked.

Cere gave him an indulging smile. “Well, what?” she asked, causing the latero to shake his head, throwing his arms up in annoyance.

“I asked where we’re going. I’ve jumped us to the middle of nowhere, but this ship doesn’t have unlimited food, y’know,” he elaborated, his expression changing from annoyed to condescending, as though they had gotten down on their knees and begged him to repeat his question.

Cere and Merrin both looked at Cal, who thought for a moment, looking past them at the holo table which displayed the planets they’d traveled too, the young Jedi cringing as his eyes fell on Mustafar and Nur then giving a slight head shake as his eyes passed Dathomir and Zeffo. Finally, his gaze fell on the one remaining planet, and after a moment of contemplation, he nodded.

“Bogano,” he decided. “I want to look at the vault again, see if I can find anything else there. Plus, Bogano’s a good place to hide out.”

“But, doesn’t the Empire know about it now?” Merrin asked, recalling Trilla’s attack to steal the holocron.

“That gives us all the more reason to go, then,” Cere spoke up, moving away from the wall to stand next to Greez, towering over him as the smaller humanoid stood on his tiptoes to try and look taller. “They won’t expect us to return their, and even if they are, things will only get worse.”

“You’re right,” Cal said, standing and heading towards the holo table, using it’s controls to bring up an image of Bogano’s map, tapping another button to highlight the vault, his gaze sweeping over the map before he nodded.

“We go to Bogano, and we destroy the vault. That way the Empire won’t learn anything from it.”

Cere nodded. “I hate to destroy such an ancient place, but you’re right. That vault could lead the Empire to the rest of Cordova’s trail, and he may have left other things that could be invaluable to the Inquisitors.” She looked down, smirking as she saw Greez swaying on his toes as he fought to stay balanced.

“Captain, set course for Bogano,” she ordered.

“On it,” the latero responded as he headed towards the cockpit. Cere nodded to the two younger crew members before following, leaving Cal and Merrin alone.

Without all the noise to distract him, Cal’s head drooped, his expression growing somber as he unclipped his lightsaber and turned it in his hands, fiddling with it absentmindedly, trying not to look over at the holocron.

Merrin frowned, watching Cal out of the corner of her eye and seeing how despondent he looked, giving her the strange urge to wrap her arms around him. She pushed that idea away, watching the Jedi for a few more moments before scooting closer to him.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly, her eyes full of concern as Cal looked up to meet them, setting his lightsaber down as he sighed.

“I don’t know. I just… I feel so  _ helpless _ .” he admitted, a look of shame flickering over his face, as Merrin once more fought the urge to embrace him, remembering the results last time. Still, she scooted a bit closer, pondering what to say. In the end, she decided it would be best to say nothing, opting to wait for him to continue.

After a few moments, he spoke again, his voice quiet. “I just… just had to sit there and watch that… that thing kill Trilla, and after that… I’ve just had to be saved, over and over again, by BD and Cere… and you.” He paused, looking over at Merrin, his eyes soft.

“Cal,” she murmured, “it’s not your fault.”

“But what if it is?” he burst out, blushing as Cere glanced back at him from the cockpit, a look of concern on her face. “I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I just… I should have been stronger. I’m a Jedi knight, but I just keep getting my ass kicked, and I just…” he trailed off, his head falling once more, and Merrin reached over, taking his hand as she intertwined her fingers with his. 

Cal glanced up at her, blushing softly, suddenly aware of how close they were.

“Cal,” she said. “It’s okay. Everyone needs to be saved sometimes, Jedi or no. We saved you, but you saved all of those children on that list. You saved me from myself and let me move on, and where would Cere and Greez be without you? They never would have found that holocron in the first place”

He shook his head, still not convinced. “Yeah, but you all risked your lives for me.”

She smiled. “You would do the same for us,” she said simply before she gave into her urge, letting go of his hand to wrap her arms around him. He hugged her back, leaning into her, ignoring the pain in his shoulder as he breathed the soft fragrance of her hair, felt the warmth of her body pressed against his, allowing himself to finally relax as she pulled away, her face a brilliant pink.

“Sorry,” she whispered, and Cal grinned. 

“It’s fine,” he said, still grinning like an idiot before he shook himself mentally, his expression changing to a grateful smile.

“Thank you.”

She smiled back. “Anytime.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Bracca had never been high on the Empire’s priority list. The planet was little more than scrap heap; A useful scrap heap, but not one worth expending military resources on. Normally, the planet’s defenses would consist of one or two light cruisers, and maybe a few C-ROC gonzantis, so Captain Gillian Bone was shocked to see an I-class Star Destroyer emerge from lightspeed, blotting out Bracca’s moon entirely.

The captain frowned, looking down at one of the security officers seated at their console.

“Is she broadcasting?”

He nodded. “Yes sir. Clearance codes check out.”

Gillian shook his head. “Something is happening,” he deduced, pacing over to one of the communications officers, his slick black shoes making a  _ thud, thud, thud  _ sound against the polished metal walkway.

“Mackelvane!”

Austin Mackelvane glanced up at him from his console, his eyes narrowed against the artificial light sources implanted in the ceiling. “Yes, sir?”

“Put me in contact with that Destroyer. I want to know why it’s here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Captain Bone strode back to the front of the bridge, smoothing his mustache and straightening his captain’s badge before the projector activated, a hologram of another officer appearing in front of Bone. The officer was younger, with short sideburns and piercing eyes. His face resembled that of one who has spent so much of his life looking snide he had become half stuck in the expression, and a badge was pinned to his uniform bearing his rank of captain.

“Captain Bone. This is Captain Arevaurd of the  _ Desiccator. _ What is the issue?”

“Hello, Captain Arevaurd. This is an unscheduled arrival. May I be so prudent as to question why you are here?”

“You may,” a deep, mechanical voice responded, a voice that did not come from Arevaurd, who stepped aside to reveal a hulking, mechanical biped, it’s face sealed behind a dreadful mask.

“I am here to investigate a former scrapper, who was allowed to escape by your security forces one month prior.”

“With all due respect, sir-”

“I believe I am due more respect than you can possibly offer, Captain. Instead, I strongly suggest that you cease these foolish questions and return to your business. Continued impertinence may lead to... unhealthy results.”

The captain swallowed. “Of course. All required permissions are granted.”

“I appreciate your compliance, Captain,” the figure said, and the message ended. Captain Bone stood their trembling for a moment before he vomited, coughing and retching as the other officers stared at him with alarm as the Captain straightened himself up, bringing his expression under control as he strode towards the doors.

“Get a sanitation crew in here,” he demanded, his voice shaking. “I’ll be in my quarters.”


	2. A Deadly Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vader finds what he's looking for while Cal begins training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is likely full of errors, I apologize in advance.

Z-496 had seen many things during his time on Bracca, including a fellow foreman falling into the gigantic maw of a sarlacc, a worker being crushed underneath a solid metal beam, and a rupture flood an entire passageway with oil. Despite all of this, he had never seen anything or anyone remotely like the figure that approached him, having exited from the shuttle that had just touched down.

Normally Z-496 was extremely paranoid about visitors, but the arrival of this man had sent it’s self preservation protocol into overdrive, and it instead stepped back, allowing the rodian foreman who stood beside him to handle this.

“ _ Welcome to Bracca, _ ” the biotic foreman spoke, approaching the figure and glancing nervously at the two purge troopers who flanked him. “ _ Is there anything we can help you with? _ ”

“I am looking for the quarters of Cal Kestis,” the figure said, it’s voice mechanical yet human.

“ _ Oh, Cal Kestis? He is no longer here. _ ”

“I am not here for Kestis, I want to see his quarters,” the figure repeated, growing impatient. Unfortunately, the rodian either did not detect the tone change or chose to ignore it.

“ _ You cannot. His quarters are now lodging a new worker, and even if they weren’t you would require a search permit, whether you were a stormtrooper or the Emperor himself. _ ”

“How reasonable,” the man said, his voice a deadly calm as his hand reached for his belt, detaching his lightsaber. In one fluid motion he ignited the weapon and swung it through the foreman’s neck, their head falling backwards as their body fell forwards, landing at the feet of the visitor as he deactivated his lightsaber and returned it to his belt.

He turned to Z-496. “I am looking for the quarters of Cal Kestis.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Cal Kestis swung his lightsaber, blocking the training droids first bolt and dodging the next, gritting his teeth as the movement caused his side to throb. It was getting better, though, and despite the other’s protests, he felt the need to train, knowing he would meet the Sith sooner or later.

Moving back into position he deflected bolt after bolt, having gotten the pattern down after a few hours of training. Activating his second blade he spun his lightsaber in an arcing circle, bouncing the energy blasts into one of the walls, where they fizzled out, their low energy output leaving no mark.

Cal moved a step to the left having memorized the droid’s movements. However, the droid flew over to his right instead, catching him in the side with it’s stinging bolts.

Cal whirled, deflecting the next bolt and then force pushing the droid into the wall, pinning it until it flew off of the wall and continued to fire. His senses kicking into overdrive, he deflected bolt after bolt, moving in random directions to throw off the droid’s sensors, blocking several more shots before dodging behind the droid and flicking it’s off switch with the force, turning to look at Cere and Merrin who were watching him from the couch.

“Did you see that? I think it malfunctioned," he said, nudging the droid with his foot before glancing over at Merrin and Cere who were sitting on the couch watching him. He frowned, shutting off his lightsaber as he noticed both women suppressing smiles.

“Hold on,” he said, looking from Cere to Merrin suspiciously. “Did one of you do that?” he questioned, sighing as Merrin burst into laughter.

_ Man, her laugh is cute, _ Cal thought before mentally shaking himself as Cere approached him, picking up Trilla’s old lightsaber off of the table and activating it.

“Your enemy won’t be a pre programmed simulator droid, Cal,” she said, getting into a dueling position opposite of him, spreading her feet out and leveling her blade. “If you’re going to win, you have to learn to adapt to the unpredictable.”

Cere lunged forward, jabbing at Cal. He parried the blow, twisting to the side as he ducked under her blade, their weapons clashing again in a flurry of sparks, red and yellow. Cal pushed her back and swung at her feet, expecting her to jump. Instead, she activated the second blade of her lightsaber, the unexpected impact throwing Cal off balance as she advanced, feinting for his head before striking out at Cal’s side, the younger Jedi barely blocking.

“Come on, Cal,” she said. “You can do better than this.”

Cal swept his blade upward, meeting her downward strike and whirling to the side to jab at her ribs, his blade stopping short an inch from her flesh, the blue light illuminating the weave of her vest. She gave him a proud smile, stepping back and shutting off her weapon, nodding.

“Good,” she said. “You have to keep your enemy on their toes just as much as they do for you. If you grow too predictable,” she continued, as she placed the Inquisitor lightsaber back on the table and sunk onto the potoli weave couch, “then you die.”

Cal nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “I think I’ve got it.”

“Then that’s not good enough,” Cere said, her expression changing from serious to a fond smile. “Master Yoda told me once when I was a youngling that to think is far less than to know. ‘Think you know what you need for tomorrow’s lesson, you may. Know you know what you need for tomorrow’s lesson, you do not.’ She smiled sadly. “He made us all read fifty pages of one of the Jedi texts for homework. It still haunts me,” she chuckled, he tone darkening. “I wonder if he’s still alive,” she said, her smile vanishing.

Cal sat next to her. “It’d take a lot more than clones to take down Master Yoda,” he said reassuringly, trying to convince himself as much as Cere.

Cere sighed. “I hope you’re right,” she said, glancing over at him and forcing a smile.

“This Yoda was a Jedi master?” Merrin questioned. Cal nodded. “Well, then,” Merrin continued, “If Cal survived as a padawan, a Jedi master has a good chance.”

“Hey!” Cal exclaimed, and Merrin laughed, her gaze locking with Cal’s as her laughter trailed off, their smiles staying a few moments before Cal realized Cere was watching and quickly glanced away. After a few moments, Cal voiced the question that was on his mind.

“Cere,” he asked, “Do you know who…  _ that  _ was? In the fortress?”

Cere shook her head. “I don’t know Cal,” she said, “and I’d rather not think about it.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Darth Vader raised his hand, opening the door with the force and striding into the cramped chamber, barely larger than an Imperial refresher, containing nothing but a single bed fit into an alcove with a small heater for rations and a few drawers. Fortunately for them, the current occupant was at work, which would extend their life by a few hours.

Vader sunk to the floor and reached out with the force, feeling it swirl around him, writhing and hissing as it was enveloped by his dark aura. He closed his eyes, feeling what the place had experienced, feeling the past of the one who had lived there and had fled from there, feeling his hurt, and his tears, and his pain, his joy and his sorrow, his love and his hate. He felt the long restless nights and the nightmares restful ones brought; he felt the ache of a long day’s work, and the dullness and sorrow off a workless one. Within a few moments, he had learned everything the Jedi had experienced within his five years on the planet, and he felt the knowledge flood his mind, a fresh wave of memories which he carefully filed away to be sifted through and returned when the time came. 

Slowly, the dark lord rose again, his reopened eyes scanning the residence one last time before he turned, passing through the open portal and out into the pouring rain. He had found what he had come for, and with the knowledge he now possessed he now had everything he needed to break Kestis.

Outside he turned to Commander Cross, who stood a few feet from the doorway, his onyx colored armor glistening with rain drops, the droplets resting on the red “X” on his helmet taking on a bloody color, his modified electrostaff sparking occasionally as the water dripped into it’s projectors. Their helmeted gazes met: Vader’s life support mask to the commander’s modified clone helmet as the Sith spoke. “Tell Captain Arevaurd to prepare an orbital strike.”

“Yes, my lord,” the purge trooper responded as Vader passed him, waiting for a few moments before he and his subordinate trooper fell into step a few feet behind the dark lord. As they walked, Cross took one last look at the scrap yard, his lips curving into a cruel smile as he imagined it burning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter kinda sucks, I meant to release it sooner so it may feel a little rushed. Also, I apologize for how bland Cal's section is, but next chapter will hopefully change that. The italics mean it's been translated to basic. Any-who, thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the next one.


	3. Stardust to Stardust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Mantis reaches Bogano, Vader gives hell to Bracca.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I apologize for errors, I'm just writing this for fun. If you find any, feel free to let me know and I'll fix them. Thanks!

“Hey people,” Greez called out from the cockpit, interrupting Cere and Cal’s conversation. “Grab some seat. We’re nearing Bogano.” 

Cal stood, heading up to the cockpit with Cere, Merrin staying on the couch. Cere dropped into her chair, swiveling it to face her console as she checked the ETA. Cal passed her, sitting down and grinning as BD-1 hopped down from on top of the scanners to land on Cal’s lap.

“Hey little buddy,” Cal said with a smile, laughing as the droid beeped out a response.

“What’s that bucket of bolts saying?” Greez asked. “It’s been beeping like a detonator ever since it came up here.”

Cal looked over at Greez. “He’s saying you’re mean,” he said with another laugh, scratching the droid’s head. “Don’t worry BD,” he chuckled. “I won’t let that big bully hurt you.”

Greez rolled his eyes. “Yeah, real funny kid. Maybe I should just ditch you on Bogano.”

Cal raised an eyebrow. “Maybe I’ll just ditch BD-1 on your couch.”

Greez’s eyes widened. “Don’t you dare!” he exclaimed, sighing in defeat. “Fine,” he said. “You’ve got yourself a deal, kid.” He pulled back on the console’s lever, dropping out of lightspeed right above the green orb of Bogano.

“No Imps,” he noticed, grinning. “Hold on!” He gunned the engines, the  _ Mantis _ blasting forwards as he angled down towards the planet, humming to himself as he did a quick barrel roll.

“Greez!” Cere yelled. “Are you insane?”

“What?” Greez complained, slowing the  _ Mantis  _ to a normal speed. “Why can’t I have a little fun in a while?”

“I’m sure you can find a way to have fun without getting us killed,” Cere chided, and Greez rolled his eyes.

“All right, all right! No need to get fussy!” he grumbled, continuing his descent as the  _ Mantis  _ passed into the planet’s atmosphere, none of the crew noticing the ST-900 unit as they flew by it, their scanners blipping out from it’s jammers as it began to transmit a signal.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The doors leading into the  _ Dessicator _ ’s bridge slid open and Vader strode through, his cape flowing out behind him as he walked along the polished metal walkway, heading towards Captain Arevaurd who stood awaiting him alongside a stormtrooper commander.

Vader stopped in front of Arevaurd, the young officer taking a nervous step back. “All cannons are online, my lord,” he reported, his gaze wandering to the wires protruding from the lightsaber wound in Vader’s side before the Sith spoke to him, returning his attention to the helmet that haunted the dreams of every high ranking officer.

“Target the scrapyard. Destroy it all.” 

Arevaurd nodded. “It will be done, my lord.” He turned to the weapons officers. “Fire,” he said, his voice calm, as though destroying an Imperial facility was an everyday affair. The officer nodded.

“Yes, Captain.”

Arevaurd returned his gaze to the main viewport, Vader and Cross standing beside him as they watched the destroyer’s cannons open fire, burst of green energy flying down to the planet’s surface, waves of destruction rippling across it’s surface.

The explosion was massive- a war’s worth of fuel and damaged electronics ignited by the _Dessicator_ ’s weaponry. _It was ironic_ , Arevaurd thought, _that such a wretched place had such a beautiful demise._

He was snapped out of his reverie by a call from one of the younger officers. Walking over to their position, he looked down at them.

“Yes?” he said, prompting them to speak.

“Sir, our surveillance unit in the Bogano system has been set off.”

Arevaurd didn’t realize Vader had arrived until he spoke.

“He is there,” he said, the tinge of excitement in his voice chilling Arevaurd to the bone. Another officer might have questioned this conclusion, might have noted that 900 models were prone to errors. Arevaurd did not. From his time he had served under the Sith lord, he had learned that opinions were dangerous enough without being spoken aloud.

“Yes, my lord,” he said, turning to the navigation officers. “Set course for Bogano.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Cal buckled over in his seat as the  _ Mantis  _ continued to descend. 

“Woah, kid,” Greez exclaimed. “You gonna throw up, do it in the fresher!”

“What is it, Cal?” Cere asked, concern evident in her voice as she watched Cal sit straight, his face pale and his eyes haunted.

“Bracca,” he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. 

“Bracca,  _ what _ ?” Greez demanded. “If you want me to fly you all the way to Bracca, kid, I’m throwin’ you out the airlock.”

“What happened, Cal?” Cere questioned, and Cal looked over at her.

“The scrapyard,” he said. “He destroyed it.”

“I’m confused. Am I missing something?” Greez asked, Cere shooting him a stern glance as Cal went on.

“It was him,” he murmured, shaking his head. “From the fortress. I felt… it’s like I saw it happening. It’s my fault,” Cal finished. “It’s all my fault.”

“Cal,” Cere said, “it’s not your fault.”

“I killed them, Cere,” he said helplessly. “If I hadn’t been there, it never would have happened.”

“Cal, he’s doing this for a reason. He wants you to feel like this.”

“Well then he’s getting what he wants!” Cal yelled, storming out of the cockpit and past Merrin, leaving a shocked Cere and a confused Greez.

“Cal,” Merrin started to say, but Cal ignored her, heading into his room and sealing the door before collapsing onto his cot and sobbing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long I've been gone. I can't promise an update soon, but this story is not discontinued. Also, I actually made it halfway through without quitting, which is impressive. I'll update soon, but until then...
> 
> Woah, we're halfway there  
> Woah, Anakin force lifting a pear


End file.
